Children of Fate
by Starkid191
Summary: It's been two months since Percy and Annabeth fell. And in those two months it's been up to Nico, Frank, Hazel, Piper, Leo and Jason to find them. But how have they been coping? And have Percy and Annabeth managed to survive? Rated T: for possible violence. Not a particularly good summary, but please read! WARNING: MAJOR PERCABETH FEELS. On hiatus for a bit, but will get finished.
1. Chapter I: Frank

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON (BUT I WISH I DID)**

**This is a story all about how my life got flipped turned upside down, I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there...**

**No, not really. Although that would be a good songfic. This is actually a story that my friend and I concocted to get over our Percabeth feels, which were, quite literally, killing us from the inside out. It's our version of HoH, and what we want to happen. Enjoy!**

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Chapter I

Frank

It had been two months since Percy and Annabeth had fallen.

Two months. And in that two months their group had split apart at the seams. Piper spent all her time in her cabin, practising speeches for when she met Gaia. Jason spent hours in the armoury training, emerging only for meals and quests. Coach Hedge had wandered off somewhere over Sorrento, muttering that 'even teaching was better than this'. Leo sat with Festus, cleaning the Dragon's head over and over again. He'd lost all his energy, kept blaming himself. He'd told them all about the Nemesis fortune cookie, but Frank didn't blame him. He would've done the same thing.

So that left him, Nico and Hazel. And if it weren't for Nico, Frank doubted this mission would still be going. He certainly wouldn't have known what to do, and he doubted Hazel did either.

He watched Nico and Hazel sat at the table, studying a map of Greece intensely, plotting their next move. Step one: get to Mount Olympus. Step two: find Percy and Annabeth and get them the hell out of there. Step three: Kick some giant butt.

If only it were that simple.

"Frank!" Nico greeted him as he walked into the room. "Come join us! Hazel and I were just discussing what we're gonna do when we reach Mount Olympus. Obviously Piper's charmspeak might not work on the giants, and we can't just count on Jason or Leo to get us out of there. There's only so much they can do. I remember when..."

There was an awkward silence as Nico trailed off. They all knew what he'd been going to say. He remembered when Percy had done something amazing but it had exhausted him. But they'd agreed early on that Percy and Annabeth's names weren't to be mentioned whilst they were planning. It'd only put them off.

"Anyway," continued Hazel, sitting up, "we thought, well, _I t_hought," she corrected herself as her brother shot a look at her, "that maybe we could all collaborate. Perhaps if Nico summons some dead to fight, then I'd have time to summon a sheet of metal. If you could change and fly it up into the air, then Jason could bounce lightening off it whilst Leo puts a ring of fire around you to stop you getting attacked. And it could act as a kind of amplifier for Piper." She continued eagerly, pointing to the hastily drawn sketches around the map. "I'm sure Leo could design us one."

"If it helps us get Percy back, I'm in."

"And Annabeth." Said Nico sharply.

Frank he felt slightly uncomfortable. He hadn't even known Annabeth properly, just got an idea of her from the stuff that Percy had said to him on the way to Alaska. He'd told him all this incredible stuff, stories about the Greek side of the Titan War, how Annabeth had realised that Luke was still fighting back, how 'Wise girl' had saved them all, the underwater kiss...

Point was, Frank had been told about this girl, and since he'd met her all they'd done was fight evil monsters, and she'd been literally lethal. Quite frankly, he was intimidated.

"Uh, yeah." he agreed. "Anyways, you reckon this'll work, Hazel?" He asked pointing at the sketches.

"I'm positive. As long as it's a precious metal, I'll be able to summon it no problem. It's the rest of the plan that I'm worried about."

"It'll be fine." Soothed Frank. "We'll pull together. It might even help the others. They're only like this because they've got nothing to take their minds off it. They just need something to do. After all, everyone wants to help Percy and Annabeth, right?"

She smiled softly. "Right."

"I'd leave you two lovebirds to it," said Nico cheerfully, rubbing his hands together, "but we'd better get to the armoury and get working. We've got a long night ahead of us."

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**Enjoyed? Review! (Please don't favourite or follow without reviewing XD) I'll try to make the bext chapter longer. Title suggestions are very welcome, and I wanna hear your ideas and stuff. **


	2. Chapter II: Leo

**DISCLAIMER: IDNOPJ(BIWID)**

**The next chapter is up! Thanks to AnnabethansPercyJackson17, kooky656 and for reviewing XD (Tiri, you don't count. You helped come up with this in the first place.) And thanks to for the 'oh, THE FEELS!' line that she put in her review. I just couldn't resist. This chapters slightly darker - I know Leo's the happy one and all, but to me, that just seems to make his darker side even darker. Everyone gets depressed sometimes. And no, there will be no Percabeth POV for the next 2/3 chapters. I have plans for then, and you can't get to know before it happens. But they'll come up soon. **

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter II

Leo

Leo sat at the masthead, staring out over Greece. He had no idea where they were - he'd lost track halfway across Italy. After all, he thought bitterly, it wasn't like he needed to know. It wasn't like he was even important.

It should have been him, he thought as he mooched across the deck, it should have been him. He was the one who had opened the fortune cookie, he was the one who should have fallen. Not Annabeth, brave, strong Annabeth who wasn't afraid of anything. (Except spiders, his ADHD side reminded him, anything except spiders. She hated spiders.) Or Percy, who obviously meant the world to Annabeth and loved her enough to follow her to Tartarus.

No-one needed him. He'd learnt that long ago when his family had pushed him out, and he'd spent years travelling from one foster home to another, always laughing, always joking. Always running when it got too much.

And then he'd discovered that he was a demigod. He'd got another chance, another go at trying to find somewhere to fit in. There'd been the three of them, their little team, but he'd still been the third wheel. Just the freaky fire dude with the magic toolbelt and the faulty dragon. He'd been so desperate he'd even thought that maybe Hazel liked him cos she kept freaking out when he talked to her, but it turned out she just fancied his dead grandad.

He imagined his mom's voice, cool and caressing, telling him gently "It's okay, _mijo_. You will never be alone. I will always be there for you." Yeah well, he thought bitterly, look how that turned out. You died, and it's all Dirt Face's fault.

Gaia. He hated that name, hated it more than he hated Tartaru... No, he reminded himself, don't even go there.

He looked up as Jason sat down next to him, nodding hello.

"Hey."

"Hey." Replied Jason morosely. He'd been like this ever since Percy had disappeared. Not even Piper could cheer him up, but then again, she was pretty depressed too. Leo guessed that a broken bromance was hard to get over. There'd been this girl at one of his orphanages, bit nerdy, who'd explained 'bromance' to him. She'd been obsessed with something called Fanfiction. She'd read something once, and spent the rest of the day doing nothing but shouting 'THE FEELS!' Leo had got slightly creeped out at that point.

"I wish they'd just _stop_." Jason said suddenly, breaking the silence, "Nico and Hazel and Frank. They're doing my head in. All this hope! Hope is good for nothing. It never works. I should know. They should just stop this now, stop kidding themselves that we can fix this. Then we can all go home."

"Home? What to?" Leo asked incredulously. "Our camps are at war. Our friends are fighting each other. And if you go back, the Romans will execute you on the spot, just for coming with us. You really think Octavian's gonna let you off? Our only hope now is to get to Mount Olympus, free Annabeth and Percy from wherever they're trapped, and somehow get the Gods to help us kill the giants. End of."

Jason snorted. "All that in a month? Yeah right."

"Hey." Leo stood up, finger out and pointing at Jason, tone stern. "If you don't believe we can do it, then maybe you shouldn't be here. Now we can all work together and try to fix this whole thing, or we sit here, do nothing, and wait for the end of the world. Now I don't know about you, but that first option is sounding pretty good to me. Got it? Cos it sounds to me like you're trying to worm your way out of this one."

"Are you calling me coward?" Jason said softly, standing up, reaching into his pocket for his coin.

"Maybe I am." stated Leo boldly. "Are you? Cos you're starting to sound like one."

"I'm _not_ a coward." argued Jason, "I just don't think we've got a chance."

"Look, I fully intend to kill Gaia and rescue my friends or die trying. And yeah, while we might not survive, I'm pretty sure we have more of a chance if there are six of us. You quitting doesn't do us any favours. Besides, which way would you rather die? In battle, fighting for freedom, or chained up in some dungeon somewhere, being tortured to insanity? I know which one I'd pick."

"You know what, _Valdez_? I was fully willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, but this is just one too far. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't even be in this mess. It's your fault Percy and Annabeth fell. You and your stupid fortune cookie."

"Jeez, _sorry_. Did you want to me to let Frank and Hazel die instead? I'm so sorry! Maybe we can go to Gaia and see if she'll let us do swapsies!" Leo said sarcastically. "Yeah, great idea! I bet you wouldn't be so peeved if it was Piper's life I'd saved!"

"You leave Piper out of this!" Jason bellowed. "This is just too far, Valdez, too far!" he cried, pulling out his sword.

"Fine." spat Leo, hands lighting. "Bring it on, _coward_." He goaded, hair beginning to smoke as he stepped forward, summoning a fireball to throw at the Roman.

Thunder boomed as the skies boiled, swirling above their heads, buffeting the ship to and fro. A bolt of lighting cane crashing down, hitting Leo head on. He stood his ground,grunting under the pressure before releasing then energy he'd collected straight back at Jason, fireball style. He was just about to go full flame when he was distracted by a small gasp. He turned to see Hazel peering round the deck door.

"Er, guys?" she interrupted, looking shocked at the scene in front of her, "We're here. We've reached Mount Olympus."

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**They're there! I've waiting for this to happen for ages. I always reckoned that Jason would end up snapping at Leo for some reason, and Leo would defend himself. I think Leo's just a bit tired of always being overlooked. Plus Jason's just being plain grumpy and a right misery guts, and I don't think Leo's gonna like that. He gets that it's hard on Jason, but he's annoyed at his lack of hope :)**

**Please don't read, follow or favourite without reviewing! I wanna know what you think. Update next week or so XD**


	3. Chapter III: Jason

**DISCLAIMER: IDNOMPJ(BIWID)**

**Sorry! I meant to upload last week, but it's literally been exam, text, GSCE sub test, exam, test. But I got Biology, Physics, English lit. Romeo & Juliet essay, Geography and music composition out if the way, and I thought I'd take a break from German prep. to upload this. Hope it's good enough to make you forgive me a bit :)**

**Thanks to Redlox2, kooky656, Partytay Animal and the Welsh Hobbit (yes Tiri, that's you) for reviewing and to everybody who followed or favourited. It means a lot guys. **

**Apologies and thanks over, here's your chapter!**

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Chapter III

Jason

Jason followed Hazel around the deck, glaring angrily at the boy beside him. Stupid Leo! Calling him a coward. He'd show him...

_But that would be reckless_ a small voice muttered in his head_, not to mention unnecessary. _

He grunted irritably and tried unsuccessfully to ignore it. Damn conscience. Damn Leo. Damn quest!

He stomped along the wooden floor, muttering angrily to himself, walking straight into Hazel when she stopped suddenly.

Groaning, he untangled himself from the floor, brushed himself off and looked up.

"Woah..." He heard himself say.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Piper said, coming up behind him and slipping her hand in his.

"Yeah." he agreed breathlessly. The mountain rose up ahead of them, lush grass coating it sides, the slopes dotted with bright flowers and exotic trees. A small trail of smoke rose from the summit, sending a column of white floating across the sky.

"I can see why the gods would want to live here." he heard Hazel say. "It's..." she trailed off, awestruck.

"Breathtaking?" Frank teased, kissing her forehead. "Come on. Lets go see if Nico needs some help."

They wandered off, hand in hand, leaving Piper and Jason stood on deck together.

"So, um..." Jason began.

"Shush." Piper motioned. "Just let me enjoy this moment whilst it lasts. I don't get many moments like this." Piper looked at her feet. "Not any more, anyway." she added quietly.

"Hey." said Jason gently, putting an arm round her. "As much as I hate to admit it, Leo's right. We can't afford to think like that. I did, and look what happened - I ended up fighting one of my best friends. We all just need to stick together. We can do this."

"Yeah," answered Piper, smiling sadly, "it's just that, well, I can't stop thinking about what might go wrong. I can't lose you, Jason. I'm not Annabeth. I can't do that."

"Piper, you can do anything you want. You're Beauty Queen. Leo and I are just the two random guys who follow you around."

She laughed, pulling him into a hug.

"Hey." he said again, squeezing her tight, "Gotcha."

She smiled into his shoulder. "Gotcha."

"Hate to break you two lovebirds up," a voice called from behind them, "but we kinda need you up on front deck."

Piper laughed, grabbing Jason's hand and following Leo. He walked alongside her to where Nico, Frank and Hazel were stood.

"You all know the plan, right?" Nico asked, his face deadly serious. "We fly halfway up, abandon ship and walk the rest of the way. There's obviously a camp up there, and we can't let them know we're coming."

Jason looked around at the rest of the group. A mirage of emotions met him. Leo kept fiddling with his hair, his pockets, meccano, anything he could get his hands on. His ADHD was obviously working overtime. Hazel was looking worried but determined, clutching tightly to Frank who looked nervous, but was obviously trying to keep it together for Hazel's sake. Nico just looked plain murderous. He looked even scarier than usual, which was saying something. Jason took Piper's hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

"I think maybe everybody falls. I think the asking is whether we get back up again." he murmured absentmindedly.

"What?" asked Piper quietly.

"Um...nothing." He shook his head. It was just something he'd read in a book he'd found at camp, but he'd never really understood what it meant. Until now. Like it or not, Leo was right. The only way they were going to do this was together. He had fallen. They had all fallen. And now they had to get back up. He had to fight whilst there was still something worth fighting for, or everything would be gone, and he'd be sitting there, alone, thinking to himself that maybe if he'd fought everything would've been okay. And there was no way he was going to let that happen.

_Half An Hour Later_

The group crawled over the ground, stopping behind some bushes to catch their breath back.

"Right, so you all know the plan, yeah?" Nico asked for the umpteenth time.

"Er, Nico?" Leo asked tentatively, "I think we may have to change the plan." he said, pointing over the brow of the hill. "There's a _lot_ of monsters down there."

A full scale war camp was nestled in a dip, full of monsters and giants. Forges belched smoke as they produced weapon after weapon after weapon.

"They're using steel!" Jason heard Hazel gasp. "So they can kill us, but we can't use their weapons against them."

Jason groaned as he scanned the camp, his eyes running over Cyclopes, Hellhounds, even rogue centaurs and...

"Is that _Octavian_?!"

Frank snorted. "He doesn't look very happy. Life as a traitor not suiting him too well? I always knew he was trouble."

"The betrayer has been betrayed." murmured Nico, smirking. "Wait...there." he said, pointing. "Is that...?"

"It is..." breathed Piper.

"Aww crap." muttered Leo.

In the middle of the camp, tied to a post, head lolling, was Percy Jackson.

"At least he's not still in Tarturus." Jason said. "But wait...where's Annabeth?" He asked.

"I don't know, but we've got to save Percy. This could be our only shot. Who knows what they're going to do with him." hissed Hazel.

"She's right." said Frank. "Stick to the plan, I'll try free Percy. If we can get him out of those chains, he can help fight. It's now or never."

Jason nodded. "Lets do this."

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**Phew! Well, battle next chapter - and some more info on Percabeth and what they've been up to. Review please! And you know I mentioned all those tests? Well I've got an English Lit. speaking exam, and I put my monologue up on here. Don't suppose anyone who likes Romeo & Juliet would mind telling me what you think? Merci!**

**(And I promise to update on time next week XD)**


	4. Chapter IV: Hazel

**DISCLAIMER: IDNOPJ(BIWID)**

**It's Monday! So thanks to the newly named Welsh Hobbit (I still haven't got those images out of my mind, Parkman), Redlox2 and ckelly333 reviewing - here's the next chapter! Don't forget to review and tell me who's POV you'd like the next one to be in :)**

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Chapter IV

Hazel

Things went wrong almost immediately.

The six of them had burst out of the undergrowth, yelling battle cries and waving their weapons. They'd split up - Hazel and Piper skirting round the edge of the camp, Leo and Frank running towards the machinery and forges, and Nico and Jason charging the monsters.

That was when it started to go badly.

Hazel couldn't see much through the bushes shrouding the camp from her, but she emerged from the undergrowth just in time to see Leo get clobbered by Mama Gasket and go flying into a lorry.

"What's that coming over the hill?" she heard Piper yell to her left. "Is it a monster?"

"I don't know," she shouted back, looking at the large snake-like figure that was spitting poison so strong that the trees around it were beginning to dissolve, "I think it's a Drakon! We have to take it down."

She slashed at a hellhound, ducking and rolling as it exploded into dust. She sprinted up the banking, calling to Piper "I'll distract it! You see if you can kill it!"

She raised her spatha, wishing desperately that she had Arion, slashing and hacking at anything she could reach. She could see Piper out of the corner of her eye, doing the exact same thing. She ducked as the monster sent a jet of green poison straight for her. Distracted, she let down her guard, only realising when a large foot slammed into her chest. Hazel lay on the floor wheezing, pressed to the ground by a giant claw. The Drakon reared it's head, hissing at her.

"Hazel!" She heard a voice shout as her vision began to darken.

"Frank..." She murmured, struggling to breath, being steadily crushed by the giant lizard-snake. Through the black spots clouding her sight, she could see an eagle soaring high above the battle, swooping low and...

Blood spurted from the reptile's eye sockets as Frank dug his claws into the Drakon's face. The animal screamed in pain, writhing in the ground, giving Hazel enough time to scramble up, and, with a nod to Piper, plunge her sword straight into the monster's heart. The combined force of the two weapons killed it, and they watched as it slowly crumbled to dust, leaving behind a giant snake skin, big enough to coat an entire bus.

"Hazel!" She turned to see Frank running towards her, worry on his chubby face. "You okay?"

"I will be once we've got rid of this lot." She answered, nodding at the battle going on below them where Nico and Jason were keeping the majority of the monsters occupied, although Nico was looking ready to pass out after summoning an entire legion of dead. The only problem was that for every monster they killed, another one reformed. "They need help. We should go." she said, smiling at her boyfriend. "For the gods."

"The gods." he echoed. Then, raising their swords, they sprinted down the hill, Piper next to them, yelling battle cries. They met the monsters head on, the crash of swords echoing off the sides of the bowl.

"Piper!" Hazel shouted. "Think you can talk them into stopping?"

"I can try," Piper answered, "but no guarantees."

The daughter of Aphrodite lopped the head off an empousa before standing still and shouting. Hazel was too busy dismembering a cyclops to listen to the exact words, but just the tone of Piper's voice was making her want to drop her weapon and sleep. So she was even more surprised when the monsters attacked with renewed force, even stronger than before.

"This isn't working!" she yelled over the noise of the battle. "They've done something to stop it affecting them! They knew we'd try this!"

"Guys, we have to get out if here!" shouted Jason, battling his way over to the small group, killing monsters left right and centre, "Frank, change then go and get Leo - he's still out cold. We'll have to regroup somewhere. Retreat to the top of the hill, and we'll talk there. We still need to find a way to get Percy out."

Hazel nodded, realising that he was right. Leo was unconscious, Jason was limping and covered in blood, Piper had numerous cuts and she and Frank weren't much better off.

"Pull back!" She yelled, "Nico, pull back!"

And with that, they turned and ran.

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**...And you can thank Ahab, Bellowhead, Abba, Kevin Rowland & Dexy's Midnight Runners, Automatic, the Hoosiers and the Kinks for keeping me awake long enough to write that. So if you didn't like it, it's their fault. **

**Speaking of not liking it... Whoever 'Guest' was, yes, Percy is tied up, all alone and without Annabeth. Well done, you can read, although you probably should find out how to spell Percy. And yes, monsters can get onto Mount Olympus. It's not the home of the gods. It's just a random mountain. And, yes, Octavian is a traitor. He might not be in the book, but he is in my story. I have my reasons. As one of my friends said, this is fanfiction. People tend not to stick to the stories. **

**So reviews, ideas, and who's POV you want the next chapter to be in XD I'll try and make the next chapter longer. **


	5. Chapter V: Nico

**DISCLAIMER: IDNOPJ(BIWID)**

**Sorry for the super long wait. I just couldn't get this chapter out. Certain (soon to be revealed) plot twists were stopping me, but I had to include them. Anyway, here it is. I'm not entirely happy, but make of it what you will. Just remember - whatever happens, please don't kill me.**

**And there will be no Percy POV for the foreseeable future. I've got his arc all figured out. You'll see what I mean at the end. And that's also why you haven't had any Percabeth so far. It's all part of the plan, honestly. **

**Thanks to Tiri, MerlinOni, ElmoDaHorse and L1berty0rD34th for reviewing. **

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**Chapter V**

**Nico**

Complete and utter catastrophe.

Those were the four words that Nico would use to describe the journey so far. His solo hadn't been much fun - getting captured by Gaia was not his idea of a good time - and since he'd joined the Argo II, things hadn't been much better.

He was proud of Hazel, though. She was obviously tired and scared and ready to give up, but she kept going. She reminded him so much of Bianca sometimes. Frank too, he'd held up well. Jason was doing alright, but Nico had expected more. He was supposed to be the leader, but instead he'd spent the whole time arguing with Leo.

Leo. Nico couldn't quite get his head around the curly-haired, latino boy. He was constantly buzzing, constantly upbeat, the heart of the ship in so many ways, yet there was a sadness there. Something had hurt him once - and Nico wasn't sure he wanted to know what.

Piper was the other unknown quantity. From what he'd seen, she was tough, tougher than any daughter of Aphrodite he'd ever met. Except Silena. Silena was special. This new girl, she was all pretty face and sweet voice, but underneath there was something else - something that said _harm my friends and I will destroy you. _

And this was his team. The team he had to save Percy and Annabeth. He only hoped they were up to it.

He owed a lot to those two. More than he'd realised. They'd helped him so many times. They'd never given up on him, even when he tried to kill them. They'd always believed that he could, and would, do better. Like in the Labyrinth, when they had their own quest, but they still had time to check on him and save him. Apart from Bianca, they were probably the first people to care.

"We have to save Percy." he muttered.

"What?" asked Piper breathlessly from where she lay panting on the hillside.

Nico grunted as he pushed himself up. "We have to save Percy. We came all this way, we can't just leave him now. Not after all that."

"But Nico," began Hazel, "there's no way we can win. We can't even kill them. Look at the state of us. You're injured, Jason's almost spent, Leo's completely out of it, and I'm shattered. And we're out of ambrosia. That was the last. It's hopeless."

"No, no it's not." Frank walked slowly forward. "Guys, I think I have an idea. What if we don't fight? Not majorly at least. What if we just distract them long enough to grab Percy and get out of there?"

"You mean run away?" Jason asked incredulously. "No way. Never."

"Actually, Jason, it might work."

Frank smiled. "Thanks Leo. You see, we can't kill them. I'm not being pessimistic, we physically cannot kill them - Gaia just keeps sending them back. But they can kill us. If we try to fight, eventually it will all get too much, or we'll get injured, or overwhelmed, and we will die. Our best chance is to dash in, dash out, grabbing Percy on the way."

Hazel smiled at him "Son of Mars - strategy is your thing." She span to face the rest of the group. "I vote we follow Frank's plan. None of us are in much of a state to fight. A group assault is our best shot."

* * *

A short time later, they were once again crouched behind a grassy hillock, surveying the monster camp.

Nico took a deep breath. "Ready?"

"Ready."

As the rest of the groups charged off left, Nico closed his eyes, listening to the various squeals and groans coming from the monster camp. He just hoped Percy was okay. Time seemed to slow as he hauled himself up and began to ran, keeping low, moving fast.

He could see the strict, regimented fighting styles of Frank, Hazel and Jason, along with the mechanical mayhem caused by Leo over on the left flank, with Piper causing riots in the ranks with her charmspeak. The son of Hades crept round the edge of the army, trying to stay unnoticed. _Crap_, he cursed as a hellhound noticed him and began to bark. Sighing, he turned and plunged into the fray.

Nico fought like a demon, forcing his way over to where Percy sat, chained to the pole. He swirled and slashed, stabbing and hacking at everything in his reach. Hellhounds cowered at his gaze, cyclops fled before him. He was death.

Literally.

He fought his way over to Percy, pushing and shoving. One advantage of being so hopelessly outnumbered was that the monsters could only come a few at a time. In a way, he thought, it kinda made it easier.

He reached the main camp, battling his way towards the tents and the campfire. As he neared, he could make out Percy, sitting slumped, head lolling. He quickly sprinted over, hoping the rest of the group could buy him enough time to get the injured demigod out of there.

He brought his sword down in an arc, shattering the chains like glass. Percy flopped forward onto the grass. "Sorry." he muttered as he hoisted him over his shoulder. Percy was heavy. It may have all been muscle, but the dude weighed a tonne. Nico ran as best as he could, dodging monsters as he ran for safety. Plonking Percy ungracefully on the ground, Nico turned and yelled "Hey! I got him! Pull back!"

He could hear shouts of 'Pull back! Pull back!' as the message was passed on. One by one the team came running up the hill, Frank the elephant carrying an injured Hazel.

"Come on, Percy." muttered Nico, kneeling over the body and not-so-gently slapping his cheeks. "We just got you out of there. Don't die now."

The teenager groaned as he regained consciousness, allowing himself to be hauled up and supported by Piper. Nico crouched infront of him, looking him straight in the eyes. "Hey Percy. It's okay. We're here now."

Percy stared blankly at him. "Come on," he muttered, "come on Percy, talk to me. Where's Annabeth? Is she safe?"

Percy just tilted his head slightly, a dead, downtrodden look in his eyes, before resuming his deadpan stare at the opposite wall.

Nico grabbed him roughly by the shoulders. "Percy!" he yelled, "Snap out of it! Where's Annabeth?"

Percy turned to look at him, his blank stare showing no emotion. His haunting stare never left his cousin's face as he uttered the two heartbreaking words.

"Annabeth's dead."


	6. Chapter VI: Piper

**DISCLAIMER: IDNOPJ(BIWID). **

**Please don't kill me! Sorry for not updating. A friend died, so fanfiction was ****_not_**** my top priority. And then my inetermet went on the blink for AGES. **

**Small Doctor Who and HP quotes. Sorry. I also apologise for my Latin. I don't go to a posh school, so I don't learn it, and the TLH only contains the second half, so I had to google translate. **

**Thanks to SiriusBlacklover14, coolgirl786xx, kooky656 (yes, I mentioned Percabeth in the blurb. But I only said Percabeth feels. I never promised and fluff. You'll just have to wait and see.), L1berty0rD34th, Natalie1668 and the curly haired welshman (DAMN YOU AND YOUR WIZARD ROBES, PARKMAN!) for reviewing. Sorry for the wait! Hope this is good enough to make up for it. **

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Chapter VI

Piper

She'd never seen anything as awful as Percy as he uttered the two words she never thought she'd hear. A mirage of pain, heartbreak and suffering was painted across his face, mixed with subtle hints of desperation and despair.

She'd clutched at Jason, trying to stop herself from falling. _Annabeth_...she remembered thinking. N_o. It can't be true. _

She reflected on those thoughts as she sat in the galley of the Argo, hot chocolate in hand. That Annabeth, brave, strong Annabeth could be gone ... If they could kill her, what hope did the rest of them have?

She knew she hadn't known her for long, but the older girl'd been like a sister to Piper. When she'd arrived at camp, dazed, confused and disorientated, with false memories and a lovesick heart, Annabeth had been the one to help.

Annabeth. She'd been so happy. She'd got her boyfriend back, she was on a quest, and she was with the people she trusted.

Damn Athena.

If she hadn't cursed her, if she hadn't forced her on that stupid quest then Annabeth wouldn't have had to go find Arachne, and wouldn't have been down there, and wouldn't have fallen.

Piper knew it was stupid to blame the goddess, but someone had to take the stick, and it was definitely no-one onboard's fault.

She looked up as Hazel walked in, looking as exhausted as she felt.

"Nobody make a sound." the younger girl said. "I just got him to sleep."

She sighed and accepted her hot chocolate from Nico, collapsing into the nearest chair.

"That bad, huh?" said Frank, passing her a spoon.

"Yup. I mean, it's not just 'I'm exhausted, but with a little ambrosia I'll be fine' bad, it's 'I've just lost everything I care about and now I've got to carry on living' bad. I'm starting to wonder whether it'd be kinder just to dump him in the Lethe."

She leaned forward, arms resting on the table. "There's not just the emotional trauma of losing Annabeth." she whispered, "There's something else too. It looks like they tortured him pretty bad whilst he was down there."

"No kidding!" scoffed Nico. "I saw him earlier - it looked like they'd used him as a knife-sharpener."

"Jesus." whispered Jason. "Why do they want him so much? What's he got?"

"Probably nothing." Piper answered. "But they hate him. Of course they do. Look at what he's done."

"Looks like we were lucky to get there when we did. I dread to think what could have happened if we'd left it any longer." muttered Hazel into her cocoa.

Nico sighed. "Just try not to mention Annabeth. If he mentions her, fine. He obviously wants to talk about it. But if not, don't. We don't need a depressed demigod on our hands."

The group nodded. "How come you didn't know she'd died, Nico?" asked Leo. "I thought you got that buzzing sound when someone cops it?"

"I do." muttered Nico darkly. "But that doesn't mean I know who."

An awkward silence fell. Everyone stared into their mugs, memories flooding their minds. Piper thought of all the times she'd taken Jason for granted. She never would again. Not after being reminded that love can die so easily.

Jason drained his mug. "So what do we do now?" he asked.

Everyone looked at Nico.

"What? I'm not captain." he said, ignoring their stares and concentrating on his drink.

"Yeah, but you're the most experienced." contradicted Frank. "You go to the underworld all the time. You practically live there. If anyone knows about the doors of Death, it's you."

"Yeah, but..."

"Come on, Nico. How many dead people have you spoken to?"

"Point taken. But honestly, I'm just as confused as you are. I have no idea where to start."

Piper banged her head on the table. "Come on guys! Think it out logically. What do we already know?"

"The giants are on Mt. Olympus. And somehow they're going to destroy it and the gods." answered Leo.

"Right. So we've just got figure out how, when and where." Piper smiled. "We can totally do it."

"I wonder if Percy knows anything. I mean, he might have heard something whilst he was at the camp."

Hazel glanced at her boyfriend. "Usually I'd say go for it, but I'm not sure it's a good idea at the moment. He's fragile."

Piper almost snorted. The idea of Percy Jackson, Hero of the gods and Saviour of Olympus, being in any way fragile was so ridiculous...

Ridiculous yet true.

"What about the prophecy? There's got to be some way to decipher that. Maybe it'll give us some clues." Nico chimed in.

Jason took a deep breath. For a moment, Piper thought he was about to object, but instead he just recited the newest Great Prophecy.

"Septem dimidium sanguines ejus respondet. Ad expugnandos aut ignis mundus necesse est cadere. Ut cum spiritu postrema sacramentum dejuremus, Et hostes ornmenta addent ad ianuam necem."

"And for those of us who don't know the bascode of the English language?" teased Leo.

Jason smiled smugly and repeated himself, in English, before turning to Leo and bowing. "Apologies, my Liege, I had not realised that thou art so dimwitted."

Leo's chuckles filled the room as Piper shot her boyfriend a dirty look. "So the half-bloods, that's us right?"

"Right."

"To storm or fire the world must fall - that'd the bit that worries me."

"Well Jason and Percy can whip up a pretty mean storm, and I've got the fire covered." joked Leo, lighting up a palm to prove his point.

Piper threw him another murderous glare. "Gods, this is pointless." she slumped, defeated, in her chair. "I wish Annabe-" She fell silent with a guilty look.

An awkward silence fell as everyone attempted not to make eye-contact. Piper coughed sheepishly. "Um.."

"So," said Hazel cheerfully a few minutes later. "Anyone made any oaths recently?"

"Nope." said Leo, popping the p, "And that's good, cos I don't really feel like dying today."

Piper fell silent. She stared moodily into her mug, trying to remember if she'd made any oaths. She didn't think she had, but...

A horrible, terrifying thought struck her.

"Guys..." she whispered, her voice catching, "What if it's not one of us?"

Silence fell as the boys looked confusedly round the cabin. Hazel let out a small gasp.

"You don't think..." she said hesitantly. "No...he wouldn't have..."

"He may not have had a choice."

"Er, guys?" Jason ventured. "Mind telling us what's going on?"

"What if," began Piper, "What if it doesn't mean us? What if it was Percy? What if he's said something? What if he's made an oath? they could have forced him - he's not exactly in his right mind at the moment. What if he has to die too?"

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**Review please! Or I shall kill off Hazel and Piper, and then Nico and Percy will start dating, but Leo secretly loves both of them but goes off with Jason anyway, and Frank turns into a whale, falls in love, and lives happily ever after with all his whale kids. And then the world ends because they failed to stop Gaia. **


	7. Chapter VII: Frank

**DISCLAIMER: IDNOPJ(BIWID)**

**So here I am, with two more Science mocks and a geography test in the next few days, writing fanfic, having managed to drag myself away from Tumblr. **

**As Ron would say, I need to sort my priorities out.**

**So lack of sleep and weird choice of music (well...not weird, just very out of date) are to blame if you don't particularly like this chapter. If you do like it, great! Unfortunately there is a small Star Trek quote. And a Gladiator one.**

**Also Frank is not a whale. **

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Chapter VII

Frank

An awkward silence filled the cabin.

"Well that's cheerful." said Leo sarcastically after a few minutes. "Thanks for that Piper. That makes me feel so much better."

Jason groaned. "This is hopeless. We can't just sit here speculating and waiting for something to happen. We need to do something."

Frank glanced around the table, wracking his brains for something to do that would still give them the time to recover.

"Supplies." broke in Hazel. Everyone looked at her puzzledly. "Erm...supplies," she explained sheepishly, "we need them. We're running short on quite a few things."

"We need more water." agreed Piper. The two girls hadn't known each other for long, but they were already firm friends. Frank smiled. Greek life was so much easier than the regimented format of the cohorts. Seeming as they were now outcasts, maybe he could persuade this Chiron or whoever to let him and Hazel stay.

Leo pulled out a roll of maps from underneath the table. "Right," he said, spreading them out, "there's a small town here." He said, pointing. "It's small, so we shouldn't get too much hassle. Gaia's more likely to be concentrating on the big cities, like Rome and Athens."

Frank nodded. "It makes sense. All in favour?"

The Greeks stared at him wordlessly. Jason coughed sheepishly. "It's a, um, Roman thing. Rome was a republic - we vote on every decision."

"Jeez," snickered Leo, "how do you manage to get anything done? It's so much easier if you just go do it."

Frank glared at him. "Rome was one of the greatest civilisations. It was built on sound principals - truth, justice, and democracy."

"Yeah," countered Leo sarcastically, "bet all the people they killed died thinking 'Wow. Maybe if we'd been so OCD, we might have survived."

Frank stood. "Hey, you lit-"

"Woah." Cut in Jason. "Calm down guys. Frank" he said, turning to the asian, " - Leo's not Roman. He doesn't get it. Leo - some respect please. Rome was built on good, solid principals. That doesn't mean it was kept that way. There was a dream that was Rome. You could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish, it was so fragile."

"Basically like communism." explained Nico. "It's the perfect system of government, but it can never work. As soon as you put someone in charge, the whole system is undermined."

Frank sat back down, glaring at Leo. He knew he'd overreacted, but he was fed up. Ever since his mum had died, things had gone from bad to worse. He'd had to endure torture at camp, he'd been insulted by a horse, his grandmother had died, he'd used up almost all of his life, he'd been pretty much banished from aforementioned camp, and now some little greek who looked exactly like his girlfriend's dead ex was trying to insult Rome. Frank was not a happy bunny.

They ended up dropping anchor on a small hilltop just outside the town. Frank could see the red tiled roofs spread out in front of him, like some kind of giant crazy paving. The sun beat down on them, bringing out the green of the trees and the blueness of the waves.

The buildings in the village were traditional greek, with whitewashed walls and wooden shutters. A door creaked in the wind, startling the demigods.

"Where is everybody?" asked Piper, fear in her voice.

Jason smiled at her reassuringly. "Don't worry. I'm sure they're just...busy, that's all."

They rounded the corner and entered the main square. Water trickled from a large fountain in the centre. Stalls sat, abandoned, wares left untended. A container of oranges had been knocked over, the bright colour in stark contrast with the pale floor.

A bike lay, wheel still ticking, abandoned on the floor.

"Hello?" Hazel called. "Anyone?"

"It's useless." said Nico. "There's no one here. I'd know if there was. I can't sense anyone living...or dead."

Frank let out a breath that he hadn't realised he'd been holding. Where ever everybody was, at least they were still alive.

"Umm...guys?" called Piper, "I think you need to see this."

She was stood in the middle of the square, peering at the fountain. Which, Frank realised with a sick feeling, was decorated with carvings and statues of the gods. Or at least, it had been. Jupiter's head had been torn off and replaced with an apple, a smiley faced crudely carved into it. The engraving of Ceres holding out grapes for Bacchus to turn into wine had been drawn over, with Bacchus' face blacked out, and two giant horns protruding from his skull.

Leo snickered in the background. "You've got to admit - it's an improvement to Mr. D."

Piper shot him a look. "I don't like it." she whispered. "This place is creepy."

A shutter banged in the rising wind. A gust blew through the square, whipping Piper and Hazel's hair about.

"I've got a bad feeling about this!" Yelled Frank.

What?" shouted Hazel over the whistling wind. "I can't hear you!"

The wind was reaching gale force now, whipping up rubbish and litter and sending it swirling.

Frank narrowed his eyes against the vicious weather. He could hardly see the others. Somewhere to his left he heard a cry.

"Storm Spirits!"

_Crap_, he cursed. Just when he thought this day could get no worse.

"We can't fight!" he yelled, "There's too many of them. We have to pull back!"

He saw Jason nod and repeat the command. Soon the group was sprinting back up the hillside.

"Why did we have to park at the top?" he heard Nico grumble.

He vaulted aboard, turning into a giant eagle as he did so, buy with nothing clear to target, it was useless. Their only chance of escape now was to run.

Jason seemed to have the same idea. "Get us out of here, Leo!"

"I'm giving all she's got!" The curly-haired latino yelled back.

"All she's got isn't enough!" countered the roman as the ship bucked and strained, trying to lift off, but being repelled by the chaotic storm spirits.

"Wait a minute! Maybe if I eject the energy core and detonate it mid-air? The blast might be enough to push us away!"

"Do it, do it, do it!"

The ship buckled before rising into the air, shaking and stuttering. Leo's voice came over the intercom system. "Hello passengers, this is your captain speaking. We are expecting slight turbulence so please stay in your seats until the captain has turned off the fasten seatbelt sign ."

"Quit joking and fly this damn thing!" yelled Hazel furiously as a storm spirit scraped her arm, leaving three huge gashes. Out of the corner of his eye, Frank could've sworn he saw Percy wielding Riptide like a maniac, defeating spirit after spirit with his own private hurricane.

Frank concentrated before turning and taking off into the sky. He slashed through a row of mini hurricanes with his beak. He turned and twisted, performing somersaults and loop the loops, leading the spirits in a warped game of tag across the open sky.

Lightening crackled as Jason raised his sword. Electricity sparked as a giant bolt crashed down, leaving Jason stood in the centre of a circle of ash, looking exhausted but proud.

Thunder boomed, deafening Frank as he transformed back.

"That's not thunder..." Hazel said quietly.

She was right. Hidden by the crackles and pops, a voice was booming.

"Mistress calls!" cackled one of the spirits, flying past the boat. "You had a close escape, demigods - you might not be so lucky next time."

As the last of the venti disappeared into the clouds which gradually dispersed to show the baby blue sky, Frank surveyed the damage.

Nico reached behind a tapestry and pulled out a first aid kit. "Come on," he said, "I'm sure we all need it."

The demigods sat down, some on broken planks of wood, some on cabinets that had been torn off and thrown down. Frank could see Percy wedged in a corner, a glum look on his face.

"Oh crap." cursed Leo suddenly.

"What?" asked Frank as he bandaged Hazel's hand tenderly.

"We never got those damn supplies."

As the laughter rang out from the battered ship, only one demigod didn't join in the merriment, but instead slunk away, back to their cabin, and the darkness of seclusion.

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**Like? Review?! Talking of reviews, thanks to Parkman, redlox2, GloryRainbow and Guest for reviewing :)**

**Next chapter'll either be Percy, Nico or Jason POV. Which do you want?**


	8. Chapter VIII: Percy

**DISCLAIMER: IDNOPJ(BIWID)**

**Sorry! This chapter was so hard to write. Don't be too mad though? It is my birthday tomorrow :)**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed. **

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Chapter VIII

Percy

The darkness surrounded the boy , crushing him.

Black.

Red.

Grey.

Bright, blinding white.

Shapes and noises spiralled, twisting upwards and outwards, swirling and stretching, mutating.

Leering faces peered at him, shooting towards him. A girl's voice screamed in pain, cut short by a sickening crunch...

"Annabeth!"

Percy sat bolt upright, panting. Just a dream, he told himself, just a dream.

Except it isn't replied a snide little voice in the back of his head. It's real. It happened. And you didn't stop it.

Untangling himself from his sweaty sheets, Percy sat up. Still panting, he felt his way blindly to the door and peered out into the dim hallway. The fluorescent clock hands told him it was ten past two.

He sighed, stepping into the corridor. The door closed behind him with a soft click, making the room invisible. It could only be opened by a demigod - Leo said he'd got the idea when Annabeth had told him how the Labyrinth could be opened.

Soft light flickered on the walls, candles illuminating the empty space Percy wasn't too sure whether it was a good idea to have naked flames on a wooden ship, but no-one else seemed bothered.

He feet padded softly on the wooden floorboards as he made his way down the steps to the stables. There were no horses in there are the moment - Hazel had let Arion out to graze. He'd catch up with them in the morning - but it helped Percy to think. The familiar smell comforted him, and he lay back, allowing himself to relax for the first time in weeks.

He remembered the last time he'd been there, before everything turned sour. The sound of her laugh, the brightness of her smile, the taste of her lips...

No. He couldn't mope. There would be a time to mourn, but it wasn't now. He had to finish the job, if only for Annabeth. He had to stay strong, be tough. Decoy the phrase 'be a man'.

It would be hard, but he'd do it. For her.

He hauled himself up. Sadness stopped now. What had happened, had happened, and there was nothing he could do to change that. He needed fresh air. He needed to clear his head, and quite frankly, the stables stunk. And he wasn't clearing them. He'd done enough stable cleaning to last a lifetime.

He climbed the stairs, trudging up on deck. The stars were spread out above him, mapping the night sky. Having lived in the city, he'd only seen them a few times, and even then he hadn't paid them much attention. He'd been too busy running for his life.

He lay down, hands beneath his head, staring up at the velvety blackness. He could make out the main constellations - Hercules, Orion, the Plough.

Zoë.

He still felt guilty about Zoë's death. He knew it wasn't his fault, but still. He should've done more. So many people had died because of him. He didn't want anymore casualties. So many people had sacrificed their lives, but still he lived on.

He closed his eyes as the memories overwhelmed him.

_"The stars, my lady. So bright..."_

_"Give this to Nico. Tell him...tell him I'm sorry."_

_"Go Percy, run!"_

_"I took your armour so the cabin would follow me..."_

_"If they just had respect..."_

_"Percy - the cables!"_

_"I love you seaweed brain. Don't ever forget that."_

He blinked, a tear threatening to spill. _No_, he thought, _I said no moping. But it's no good! I need something to do, something to keep me occupied. I can't stay cooped up on here. I'll go insane. _

Percy walked over to the side and leaned on the railings. Hd had a vague feeling of de ja vu, like he'd been there before. Hills fell away beneath him as the ship cruised past, forests and monsters and villages passing slowly beneath them.

Wait...monsters?

Percy looked again. Yup, there, in a slow, solitary line, were monsters, so many monsters, marching in single file southwards.

He gaped, struck dumb by the sheer number of monsters in the army. There was a creak behind him, and he turned, only to find his path blocked by a single solitary figure.

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**Oops - cliffhanger! Sorry. Next chapter should be up on time. Review please!**


	9. Chapter IX: Nico

**DISCLAIMER: IDNOPJ(BIWID)**

**Hey! About updates before I start - they may not be every Monday, but I will try to update once a week, every week. Though this one was a close call. I watched Reichenbach Fall. THE FEELS!**

**This chapter is mostly a filler chap - it's a slight non-event. Sorry, but I had to do it so I could move on. Not too happy, but I had to write it so I could move onto the next chapter. **

**Thanks to Tiri, Milly, lilylovesfabian and NightSand for reviewing. You guys are the best!**

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Chapter IX

Nico

Nico woke with a start. Another nightmare. Being a demigod, he was used to them by now, but they'd been getting worse lately. Hades had warned him about it. Said it was due to the time that he'd spent in the Lotus Hotel & Casino. Apparently a demigod's powers grew with age, but now Nico's body and abilities were all out of sync.

He pushed back the covers and walked over to the door. He needed fresh air, a cool breeze, anything but the stuffy air of his bedroom. His feet padded softly on the wood as he tiptoed his way to the stairs.

Emerging from the doorway, he spotted a solitary figure standing by the railings. Percy, he thought. The son of Poseidon had been in a weird mood ever since they'd rescued him, but Nico had seen him during the battle. Maybe Percy was healing. He hoped he was. They were going to need him before long.

Nico shut the door gently, before making his way towards the other demigod.

"Hey." he said softly. Nothing fancy, just a simple 'hey'. He knew how it felt to lose someone. He'd lost everything - his sister, his mother... He didn't want Percy to be alone like he'd been. He also knew that it was no use hanging around waiting for something to happen. You had to bring yourself out of it, which was why Percy was going to get no sympathy from him.

There was no reply. Sighing, Nico wandered over and leant on the railings next to the silent figure. Craning his neck, he looked towards the sky, following Percy's gaze.

"Zoë.' Nico said. "I never really knew her. When she was alive, I was just a stubborn kid. I guess I was mad at her for taking Bianca away."

Percy coughed, interrupting Nico's musing.

"Sorry, but I think this might be a _little_ more important."

"Oh yeah." the son of Hades said, looking where Percy was pointing. "Yeah, you could be right there."

"Just a bit." Muttered Percy sarcastically. Nico grinned it was good to have his friend back.

Those monsters did not look good.

"Guys?" yelled Nico, "I think you should see this!"

He could hear various bumps and crashes as people stumbled out of bed, as well as the familiar yell of pain from Leo when he woke up suddenly and smashed his head on the sideboard.

Piper came sprinting up the stairs, closely followed by Jason who was hurriedly fixing on his armour. Frank ran round the corner, stumbling into Hazel who had just appeared on deck.

Untangling herself, Hazel stepped forwards to peer over the railing. "Oh _schist_" she muttered.

"What is it?"

"Monsters. Lots and lots of monsters."

Jason gulped as he saw the full extent of the opposing army. "They're all going the same way." he mumbled to himself. "They're going somewhere. We have to follow them." he announced.

"Leo?" called Piper, "Get your ass up here! We need to move."

The latino boy stumbled around the corner, and large knot forming underneath his curly hair.

"Oh crap." he proclaimed upon seeing the army.

"Yeah." Nico agreed. He rubbed his hands together. "Right. Lets get this party started."

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R&R sil vous plait! And tell me who's PoV you want next.


	10. Chapter X: Octavian

**DISCLAIMER: IDNPJ(BIWID)**

**Sorry! I haven't had much time to write. I have to learn poems for English, write (and learn) my controlled assessment {Does anyone one have any good ideas of what I could sell on a teleshopping channel?}, memorise pieces for a music competition, practice for my grade 5 piano, do some concerts, practice for my grade 8 flute, prepare for the Rotary tech competition, and get ready for German exchange. So, yeah, I haven't had much time to write. I got this up as soon as I could though. Thanks for all the reviews - Tiri, lilylovesfabian, candyland7, xXxPaperStylusxXx and some person . You guys are awesome, and thanks for putting up with my impromptu absences. **

**Quick warning - this chapter is probably one of the main reasons why this story is rated T. I feel incredibly guilty about what I put the characters through. And I swear - this chapter seemed really long when I was writing it...**

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Chapter X

Octavian

Octavian glared angrily at the mush in front of him. He shoved it round his plate, stabbing with his fork as it oozed into the cracks and onto his lap. It was godawful. It reminded him of school dinners - and that wasn't an experience he wanted to relive.

It wasn't that he got bullied or anything (more often than not he was the one who structured and plotted it all), it was just that having to pretend to be normal was so mind-numbingly dull. He'd begged his parents to send him to Camp, but to no avail - they just kept telling him that when he was proved worthy, when he lived up to his namesake, he could go. Eventually Octavian had simply blackmailed them into sending him off. Even as a kid, he'd been resourceful. He knew how to talk his way out of (and into) things, how to avoid punishment, how to get others to do it for you, how to convince others that you were right...and how to pick the winning side.

That was why he'd joined Gaia. Camp may have been better than middle school, but everyone there was so good. There were no deserters, no traitors, no anarchy. Everyone was so damn loyal in New Rome.

Yeah, he was loyal too - dulce et decorum est and all that - but it just so happened that his loyalties were with Rome herself, rather than the people in it. He'd die for Rome if he had to, but that didn't mean he agreed with the decisions made. The senate was completely wrong most of the time. And the whole thing with the Greeks? They were definately plotting something.

Now he was staring to regret his decision. It had seemed right at the time, but sitting in the cold mud, boots squelching, dinner rapidly going cold, he couldn't help but feel a little...doubtful.

Quite frankly, it was disgraceful. That he, Octavian, revered seer and Augur, should be treated in this way. To be ordered about by mere monsters! It didn't bear thinking about. Of course, he would have complained, but he didn't want to cause any fuss. And some of those dracaena looked awfully scary...

Damn muggles, he thought bitterly, turning away and staring at the row of tents opposite. He laughed silently at the irony of it all. He could do with some magic now; maybe an invisibility cloak or two, so he could sneak out to somewhere where the stench wasn't so bad.

He missed it. He missed the food, and the sanitation, and actually being in good health. He probably shouldn't have joined up, but he'd been so goddamn jealous. Reyna was useless - a figurehead, nothing more. Anybody could see that! But the legion was so blind, willingly putting their trust in someone who had voluntarily made a deal with the greeks. When Octavian got control of Camp Jupiter, Reyna would be the first thing to go. He would be praetor.

He didn't believe Gaia. He wasn't that idiotic. Yes, she'd promised him fame and riches and power, but he could get those on his own. He would use Gaia to destroy those puny demigods that opposed him, and would then ditch her, and form his own camp. They would run into his open arms, like a saviour welcoming children. He would be worshipped.

Some of them, though, might not be so easily swayed.

That Percy Jackson, for one. He was troublesome. Not only was he a son of Neptune, but he was a greek too. He'd broken up the steady pattern of camp, and disrupted all of Octavian's plans. He would have got the praetorship if it hadn't have been for that cacas faciem.

The greeks were untrustworthy. They were traitors. Rome had been a glorious empire, and had risen like a phoenix, far above the ashes of greek civilisation. Rome had risen so far, and then fallen, so hard, like never before. And Octavian blamed the Greeks. They had undermined the system, and brought Rome crashing down.

That said, they were brave. Jackson and his girlfriend had never given up. Even during the horrific torture, during the pain and the suffering, they had never once cracked. They had stayed brave until the end.

Until her end.

Her screams haunted his nightmares. The blood-curdling scream of one who had lost all hope. It was almost inhuman. What they were doing to her certainly was. The agony she must have suffered...she was better off out of it.

It was almost a waste, thought Octavian wistfully, that such a pretty young girl had been murdered like that. Not that her beauty had been wasted, of course. She'd been used. There'd been plenty of monsters who'd wanted a go with her.

He's heard Jackson at night, comforting her whilst she sobbed brokenly in his arms. Jackson had momentarily forgotten his own suffering in order to help her. Octavian snorted patronisingly. That sort of selflessness was idiotic and reckless.

And brave.

Octavian was angry. Mainly at himself. Angry, because he'd fallen for Gaia's trap, as much as he liked to kid himself that he hadn't. Angry, because whilst he could have been out there, leading his army to victory, he was stuck in this dismal camp, squatting among the ramshackle tents and mud-filled holes. Angry, because he wasn't the person he wanted to be.

He was starting to feel a bit guilty, almost. He'd had a hand in the capture and torture of two of the most selfless, brave and courageous demigods he'd ever met. He'd joined the enemy for power and glory, and had come out on the wrong side of the war. Now he was in the company of those he despised, and the rain wasn't doing anything to help matters.

He thought again of that phrase; dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori. He'd never really thought it through, but he supposed that Wilfred Owen guy was right. It was a lie. There were better things to die for, and sometimes it was best not to die at all, but it if you had to believe a lie, then it was a good lie to believe. He wished he could. He'd only ever thought of himself, but as the doubts racked his mind, he couldn't help thinking that maybe, just maybe, he was wrong.

Screw that, he was definately wrong.

He'd acted on a whim. He'd been angry and upset, and he'd thought he could rule the world. How wrong he'd been. Hubris - it was his fatal flaw, he thought bitterly, staring down at his now cold food.

Horns began to blow in the distance, the call to arms hanging in the air. Octavian rise and slowly buckled on this armour, one clear thought in his mind.

_I swear I will fix this, or die trying. _

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**Review please! Also - would you rather I carry on updating like this, or I take a little hiatus, finish the story, and update weekly? Oh, and no update next week - I'm on german exchange :)**

**I teared up at the end. I was just like 'I swear I will rescue my men, or die trying.' 'And I swear I will protect you, or die at your side.' IT'S MARCH GUYS! MERLIN FILMING WOULD USUALLY START IN MARCH!**

**And I have to admit, it did go slightly Monty Python in the middle, cos I ha to list what the Romans ever did for us. It took a great deal of self-control to stop myself writing 'Err...the Aquaduct?'**

**Anyway, seeming as muggle is now in the Oxford dictionary and is defined as 'a person who is not conversant with a particular activity or skill' - e.g. Moss could say 'Jen's an IT muggle'. (Cookies to anyone who actually got that reference) - I felt it'd be a good insult for Octavian to use. I kinda based him on a cross between Moriarty, Loki and Draco. And there's definately a bit of pompous Percy. Hoped it worked!**


	11. Chapter XI: Leo

**DISCLAIMER: IDNOPJ(BIWID)**

**Sorry for the wait! I had a very stressful couple of days. My idiot if a German exchange partner managed to lock the house door with the house keys in the other side of the lock (stopping us from opening the door with the spare keys), and the car keys in the bowl inside. And my luggage locked in the car. With 5 minutes to catch a train to Mannheim and then to Frankfurt to fly home. So I have no luggage, no clothes, no anything. Including my draft for this. So sorry it's so short, but I thought it was better to post something. Thanks loads to Tiri for reviewing, and everyone who's followed and favourited. **

* * *

Chapter XI

Leo

They weren't as impressive as he'd expected.

He'd imagined the Doors of Death to be grand, imposing pieces of art, great slabs of black stone with eerie carvings and menacing pictures.

In reality, they were a pair of rotten wooden slabs creaking mournfully in the wind. The latch hung loose - but for some reason Leo didn't think shutting them would be quite as easy as simply getting a padlock.

They'd followed the monsters south, steadily gaining on them, until they'd reached the head of the column. Calculating the predicted course of the creatures, they'd continued on until they'd reached a rather non-descript hill in the middle of nowhere. It seemed a rather unlikely place for something so important, but Leo was willing to admit that sometimes looks could be deceiving. Who knew - maybe they looked better from the other side?

"Hey guys...is this the right place?" Jason asked tentatively.

"Are you doubting my maths skills?" Piper glared, her hair whipping out as she whirled round to face him.

"Hey!" her boyfriend cried in mock surrender, "Don't shoot the messenger. Everyone was thinking it. I just happened to be the one to say it."

"He's got a point, Piper." Hazel said. "It does look a little ... derelict."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Nico whispered. "There's something here. Can't you feel it?"

Hazel nodded slowly, glancing around. "It's almost like...we're not alone. There's something else here. Can't you smell it? It's like dust and decay and death. It's...it's like the smell of dust after rain."

"Petrichor."

"What?"

"Petrichor. It means the smell of dust after rain." Frank explained sheepishly. "Just thought you'd like to know."

"Riiiight..." Said Leo, clapping his hands. "Anyways, what do we do about these?"

Everybody looked towards the doors.

"We could just...burn them." the son of Hephaestus suggested meekly.

"That's not going to work." said an exasperated Piper. "Nico, you were here before. What do we do? What were they like last time?"

"I was on the other side. I've never been before. I have no idea."

"It's like the gods."

The voice crept up behind them, quiet but full of sorrow and anger. The group turned to see Percy sat behind them, balancing on the edge of a rock.

"Like the gods?" Jason asked.

"They're connected to their kingdoms." Percy explained. "During the Titan war, the gods suffered greatly. Poseidon was targeted most by Kronos. He lost his image. As his kingdom suffered, so did he. He looked like an old man when I saw him, old and grey and so very frail."

He stood and walked towards them. "As Death is diminished, the doors start to crumble. Soon there will be no doors. If you don't lock them soon, Death will fail altogether. Even mortals won't die."

"Oh my gods...it's like Torchwood."

Everyone turned to Frank. "It's this British tv series," he explained, "there was one series were everyone stopped dying. Even the people who got shot, or stabbed, or blown up. It was horrible. They were running out of medicine, and the bacteria were becoming really resistant, and there wasn't enough room or food for anyone..." He trailed off to incredulous stares. "What? It was a good series."

"Moving on from Frank's tv obsession," Jason sniggered, "what do we do about the doors? As Frank so wonderfully explained, people being unable to die is not a good thing."

"I wonder if you'd get ghosts?" Leo mused. "That would be pretty cool. I reckon I'd make a great ghost."

"Can we concentrate on the task in hand, pleaded?" Piper pleaded. "Cos it's kind of important to figure out what to do before Gaia arrives."

"I suppose the first thing to do is to set up camp and organise a watch. We need to know if Gaia's approaching. And then I guess we sit down and try to figure this out."

"I vote we don't camp here. Gaia's army'll be coming soon, and I don't really want to be here when they do." Leo chimed in. "We should pull back slightly - park the ship over the next hill. We have to be able to make a quick getaway. We want to be the attackers, not the attacked."

"It makes sense," Piper said, picking up her things and heading back up the hill. "Come on. If we hurry we can hide properly before they all arrive."

The group slowly walked back up the hill, laughing and joking. The fight would come - and soon. For the first time, Leo wondered whether or not they'd all come back. They'd made it this far, but would they survive what was to come?

* * *

**I always saw Frank as a bit of a tv nut. Out of the seven, I (for some reason) always thought it'd be Frank who watched all the shows and stuff, but Piper who fangirled. I reckon she's got fanfic and tumblr accounts. **

**Soo...suggestions? Scenes you'd like to see, what POV you want next, general tips... Or just review. Anything's good XD**


	12. Hiatus Notice

No-one seems to be reading at the moment, and I didn't get any answers to my question about what you wanted to happen, but I'm going to put this on hiatus anyway. I don't have much time at the moment, so I'm going to stop, finish the story, and then upload with regular updates. So this story will be finished, but there's going to be a gap, at least until I get my mocks out of the way, and maybe a bit after then too.

:)


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